True Love

The bright cold expanse of the world greets me,

It is thunderous, stark,

I feel infantile and foreign,

so I say 'hello' with a scream.

Then your arms cradle 'round the whole of me.

Safety envelopes me with warmth.

My ears find the rhythmic drum of your heartbeat.

I surrender to it's lullaby,

and dream.

***

The aggregate sidewalk won the battle

with my tender unsteady knees,

which wobbled too eagerly forward

chasing butterfly fairies and June beetle wisps.

cherry red tears drip from the wounds,

echoing the cries from my eyes.

Then you arms carry me home,

your lips humming tunes as you wipe away

the hurt with soap-scented love.

I smile and break free,

ready to run again.

***

I shrink myself into hoodies,

a game of hide and seek

where I am permanently hiding,

bedroom doors closed, hinges oiled with sullenness.

The mirror distorts what I see,

reflection bending to their teasing

until the beauty that you gave to me fractures.

Your hands squeeze my shoulders,

centering me back atop of reality,

handing me the tools to mend my own heart,

and showing me the mountains I have flicked off of my shoulders

as if they were mere mosquitos that loitered too long.

I let gratitude scream through my arms,

and embrace the truest love

that anyone could ever know.